SCUBA equipment, and particularly self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, is frequently used under conditions where cleaning or rinsing immediately after use is necessary. Such equipment, for example, generally includes SCUBA breathing regulators, snorkels and buoyancy compensators. SCUBA regulators, of course, are the equipment which enable a diver to breathe underwater. They usually are provided in a unit comprising a first stage for stepping down high pressure air to a lower pressure and a second stage for controlling the air supplied for breathing on demand. These devices usually comprise a mouthpiece and a large diaphragm connected to a valve lever, providing an on demand breathing apparatus. Snorkels, of course, are devices having a mouthpiece and a curved breathing tube which permits a person to float on the water's surface and view downwardly without twisting the head for breathing. Buoyancy compensators, on the other hand, generally comprise inflatable vests which are worn by divers to adjust their buoyancy. These vests may be inflated either orally or by power inflators connected to the low pressure outlets of the first stage of the SCUBA regulator. The oral inflation devices usually comprise a hose having a mouthpiece at one end with a valve which can be operated while underwater to permit the introduction of air into the buoyancy compensator vest by the diver orally.
It is essential that such SCUBA equipment be cleaned or rinsed after use, not only to extend its useful lifetime, but also to ensure that it will not fail during subsequent use, which could be a potentially life-threatening occurrence. This need for cleansing is particularly acute when SCUBA equipment is used in salt water, for example. Once salt water dries, it leaves a salt residue, which can be both corrosive and abrasive. These effects can shorten the useful life or interfere with the performance of the life support equipment. For example, salt left in the second stage of a breathing regulator may interfere with the valve operation or corrode the metallic valve parts. Dried salt crystals can also accumulate on the diaphragm and cause undue wear during subsequent uses.
It is also common for at least some salt water to enter a buoyancy compensator, for example, through the mouthpiece of the inflator. When such salt water dries inside the compensator, it leaves a salt residue, particularly in the bottom creases and seams of the inflatable bladder. The effects of dried salt can cause undue wear within the compensator wall, and possibly result in material failure. This could result in air leaks and the ingestion of water during a dive, reducing the lift capacity of the BC.
In the usual method of cleaning or rinsing such equipment, an ordinary garden hose or faucet is used to rinse the equipment, either at the dive site, boat dock, or later at home or lodging. Although this method appears to be quick and easy, it suffers from two major shortcomings.
First, the water flowing through a garden hose or faucet is at relatively high speed and under high pressure, particularly when a nozzle of the normal garden hose variety is utilized. When such high speed streams are directed onto regulators, buoyancy compensators or snorkels, the high velocity streams can damage the equipment. Such high velocity streams could bend or break a valve component in the regulator, tear or unseat diaphragms or the like.
To prevent damaging the diaphragms and valve mechanisms of the second stage of a breathing regulator, extreme care must be exercised during the rinsing process. As a result, the breathing regulator often receives an inferior cleaning, or is not cleaned at all. Moreover, the water splash from a hose at the rinsing site may wet everything in the rinse area.
Secondly, in cleaning such equipment, it is often necessary to ensure that water flows through or into the device in order to cleanse the interior. Currently, it is necessary to distort and stretch the mouthpieces associated with these devices over the threaded end of a hose or faucet to accomplish this task. However, this practice causes the mouthpiece to quickly wear, or may even result in permanent damage to the mouthpiece, not to mention the potential damage from potentially high water velocity against sensitive components. Accordingly, it has been one objective of this invention to provide a nozzle for gently rinsing or cleaning SCUBA equipment.
A further objective of the invention has been to enable the use of a high pressure water source, such as a typical consumer water supply, in cleaning or rinsing delicate SCUBA equipment parts without damaging such apparatus.